PESHAWAR: Amid escalating concerns regarding electoral impartiality, the Caretaker Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Azam Khan on Thursday asked the cabinet members to tender their resignations from their respective portfolios.
In response to the Chief Minister’s directive, 19 ministers and aides submitted their resignations.
Last week, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) communicated via a letter to Azam Khan, urging the removal of ministers, and special assistance with affiliations to political parties.
In response to the electoral body’s order, the caretaker chief minister asked the cabinet members to step down from their positions.
It has been reported that 19 members including ministers, advisors, and special assistances have submitted their resignations, with eight more expected to follow suit shortly. The caretaker chief minister will subsequently appoint new cabinet members.
ECP direction to de-notify Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ministers
The letter sent to the KP Chief Minister stated that interim setup plays an important role in supporting the electoral watchdog to ensure a fair playing field for all political parties and contesting candidates.
The letter further said that an interim government, including cabinet members and other relevant officials, can only provide an unbiased environment if it refrains from engaging in politics and election campaigns, as stipulated in Sections (1)(d) and 2(g) of the Election Act 2017.
“Unfortunately, the Election Commission has been made aware through multiple sources that certain members of the current interim cabinet, including ministers, advisers, and special assistants, were appointed due to their political affiliations. This situation was exemplified by Shahid Khattak’s involvement in political activities,” the letter stated.
Shahid Khattak, who was later sacked from the ECP, has an affiliation with Awami National Party and participated in a public gathering where he also delivered a political speech. Earlier, the Chief Minister had also removed Commerce Minister Adnan Jalil following the withdrawal of his nomination by the ANP.
Who are the KP cabinet ministers?
The KP interim cabinet comprises a significant number of ministers who hold affiliations or family ties with leaders from various political parties, including the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Awami National Party, PPP, PMLN, and Aftab Ahmad Khan’s party Qaumi Watan Party.
Notably, a majority of the cabinet members are aligned with Maulana Fazalur Rehman’s party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam. Minister Hamid Shah, a former member of the provincial Assembly from the Bannu district, is associated with JUI. Similarly, Sawal Nazir Advocate, hailing from Bannu, is a relative of former JUI-F chief minister Akram Khan Durrani. Minister Manzoor Afridi holds a central leadership position in JUI-F, while Muhammad Ali Shah is linked with Pakistan Muslim League-N. Ashraf Dawar from South Waziristan is affiliated with ANP, and Bakht Nawaz is the son of Alamzeb Khan, a former provincial minister of JUI.
Barrister Feroze Jamal Kakakhel, whose father is former federal minister Mian Jamal Shah, contested the 2018 general elections on the Pakistan People’s Party ticket. Matiullah is associated with ANP.
On the other hand, Shafiullah is the cousin of former federal minister and PPP KP former president Najamuddin Khan. Similarly, Muhammad Ali Shah served as Swat nazim from 2015-19 on a PML-N ticket.
